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In a significant step to countrywide promote use of renewable sources of energy, the first issue of a newsletter entitled‘AKSHAY URJA’ being brought out by the Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Sources was released here today by the Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee. Printed both in Hindi and English for distribution of about 10,000 copies all over the country, The release function was attended by Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs & Urban Development besides the Minister of Non-conventional Energy Sources Shri Vilas Muttemwar. Each issue of the publication will have reports on national and international developments, technical reviews, success stories, case studies etc. in about ten thousand copies. Lauding the initiative, Shri Chatterjee emphasized the importance of Non-conventional sources of energy in meeting growing energy requirements of the country. “with our limited sources of conventional energy we have to seriously and purposively work towards harnessing non conventional energy sources”, he said.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Vilas Muttemwar described the release of the news letter as a further step in the direction of awareness, promotion and popularization of renewable energy in the country. The Minister said that as Ministry has taken several initiatives during the last ten months to develop new programmes and promote awareness of renewable energy technologies. In line with the aim to electrify all households by 2009, as envisaged in the National Common Minimum Programme, 181 remote villages in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Manipur, Tripura and Uttaranchal were electrified under the programme during 2004-05 up to 30.11.2004. In addition, projects are under implementation in 1349 villages and 724 hamlets in 19 States/UTs. To free the villages from the energy insecurity Village Energy Security Programme is being conceived to exploit the opportunity offered by the technologies developed indigenously involving coordinated participation from several Ministries including Power, Environment and Forests, Rural Development and Planning Commission and the State Governments.
A Conference of State energy ministers and two national conferences on renewable energy in rural areas and urban areas were organized. The Rajiv Gandhi Renewable Energy Day was observed 20th August 200, with the organization of children’s rallies, painting competitions, etc. all over the country, and the release of a special postage stamp to mark the occasion. District Advisory Committees are also being established in every District of the country to involve District level officials as well as local intellectuals and social workers in the promotion of renewable energy.
The Ministry’s efforts to increase the share of renewables in the total power generation capacity of the country have started bearing fruit. Renewables presently contribute about 5700 MW, which represent about 5% of the total installed power generating capacity from all sources. Wind power alone contributes about 2980 MW. The potential exists for generating about 1,700 MW of power from urban and municipal wastes and about 1,000 MW from industrial wastes in the country. The Ministry also promotes setting up of projects for utilizing this energy potential. Three waste to energy projects with a capacity of 5 MW were commissioned, taking the aggregate waste to energy projects installed in the country to 46.5 Mw.
RCJ /VK/(22.3.05)
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